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Michigan football is no match for Oregon in 38-17 loss

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Michigan football is no match for Oregon in 38-17 loss

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For the second year in a row, the largest crowd in America had the chance to watch the No. 1 team in the country play in southeast Michigan.

The disappointing difference wasn't great this time with 110,576 spectators in Ann Arbor, the team in maize and blue; it was the nail. The post-Halloween matchup seemed like a bad ploy for Michigan football, certainly not a fun one as it was dominated by a 38-17 loss to No. 1 Oregon.

Saturday was difficult from the start for Michigan (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) against an Oregon offense that couldn't be stopped. The Ducks took four of five possessions in the first half for touchdowns and accumulated 470 total yards on the day. In the end, Oregon had seven plays of 20 yards or more, while Dillon Gabriel continued his climb up the Heisman rankings by completing 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown to go, along with 23 rushing yards and a score on the ground .

Michigan's offense remained largely neutral. There was one possession in the first half that traveled more than 30 yards. Davis Warren, named the starter for the remainder of the season by head coach Sherrone Moore, couldn't play enough on his own.

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His first completion went to Tyler Morris, but he failed to connect of more than 10 yards in the first 25 minutes. He finished the day completing 13 of 23 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, with Colston Loveland his favorite target with seven catches and a career-high 112 yards.

For the second straight week, U-M's rushing offense was a disappointment. Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards combined to rush 18 times for 68 yards, and the team tallied 105 rushing yards on 28 attempts (3.8 yards per run).

UM must now lick its wounds as it continues its march into a brutal November stretch that continues next week against unbeaten Indiana (9-0, 6-0). The matchup could be the Wolverines' third game against a top-10 team this year.

IMMEDIATE USE: Michigan gets a moral victory, which is nothing against No. 1 Oregon

Michigan dominated Oregon in the first half

After a UM three-pointer to start, the Ducks wasted little time in gaining their first possession of the game after 12 plays and 63 yards, which ended when Gabriel found Evan Stewart in the corner of the end zone for a two-yard score.

While Oregon took a 7-0 lead after the extra point, replay clearly showed the ball hit the ground. For some reason it hasn't been checked.

Oregon appeared poised to get the ball back after forcing its second three-pointer on as many possessions when Michigan's Joe Taylor forced an Oregon fumble on the punt and CJ Charleston fell on it at the Ducks' 28.

Michigan scored on third-and-goal five plays later when Warren rolled right and extended the play long enough to find Morris in the end zone for a 7-yard score.

Oregon responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive that included three plays of 12 yards or more before Noah Whittington scored from 1 yard out.

Tommy Doman's fourth punt of the day put Oregon at its own 6, but the Ducks carved up UM's defense with a 10-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. Three different plays went for 12 yards or more, including a deep shot to Traeshon Holden for a lead of 38 as Aamir Hall anticipated a quick pass on third-and-1.

Jordan James, who finished the game with 21 carries for 110 yards, went into the end zone on the next snap for a 21-7 lead.

Finally, UM managed a pass play of more than seven yards. Warren found Loveland on a corner route for the 18, then a reverse flea flicker from Warren brought Loveland to the 36 after he broke a tackle and rumbled down the right sideline.

UM scored a field goal after Warren couldn't find Morris on third-and-11 before the Ducks responded with a demoralizing seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ended when Gabriel ran 23 yards up the middle with 35 seconds left untouched ran for a 28-10 lead at halftime.

Oregon had a 304-111 yard advantage at halftime, resulting in more first downs (15-5), more tackles for loss (5-0) and a better third-down rate (5-for-6 vs. 1- for) included -6) and more games (38 to 26).

RECRUITMENT: Michigan is stepping up its pursuit of LSU 5-star quarterback Bryce Underwood

The comeback is clearly neglected

Michigan didn't go down without a fight.

It forced a three-pointer early in the second half and the offense clicked. Warren threw his best ball of the day just over the linebacker, which quickly hit Loveland for 34 yards. A few plays later, he found Morris on a screen pass for the 13 to get near the red zone before the line blitzed and he hit Loveland for a 20-plus lead to set up the first-and-goal.

Three plays later, Warren extended the play by rolling left and finding Peyton O'Leary in traffic for the touchdown to make it 28-17 with 7:09 left in the third.

Michigan's defense forced a punt to midfield on the next drive, but Trey Pierce beat the long snapper on fourth-and-4, a penalty that moved the sticks for the Ducks.

Instead, it became a 15-play, 67-yard drive, and although the Wolverines forced a field goal, Oregon took more than six minutes to make the score 31-17 with 35 seconds left in the third.

Michigan went three-and-out on its next possession when Warren Loveland appeared to find a diving catch near the left sideline, but the ball came out as it touched the ground and the ball was ruled incomplete. Moore elected to challenge the play, but the decision was upheld and it cost UM the second timeout.

Michigan forced a punt and took one last gasp. Warren led the offense with an 11-play, 70-yard drive, but when faced with a fourth-and-5 call at the Oregon 10, the play call was a setback for wideout Semaj Morgan, who picked it up the other side of the field threw back for quarterback Alex Orji. He was well defended in the end zone and the ball flew wide out of bounds, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Oregon responded with an 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that lasted 6:59 seconds with 25 seconds left to tie the score rather than falter.

Make “Hail, Yes!” your favorite Michigan Wolverines podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.

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